As Long as You Love Me
by chocolatemud14
Summary: She'd told him it was her dream. It was her dream to go back to Los Angeles, to that hotel room; sitting in that chair; facing the love of her life. It was her dream to let him open the little black box and slip what was inside of it onto her finger. It was her dream for him to once again ask her to marry him; and this time she'd say yes. LP in Vegas. O/S


**So I actually found this sitting on my computer. I decided to clean it up and post it. Yes it's short, but if you guys like it enough I might add another chapter. Depends on what you want, so review :) Enjoy.**

 **As Long as You Love Me**

She'd told him it was her dream. It was her dream to go back to Los Angeles, to that hotel room; sitting in that chair; facing the love of her life. It was her dream, to let him open the little black box and slip what was inside of it onto her finger. It was her dream for him to once again ask her to marry him; and this time she'd say yes.

He didn't say much after that.

It almost didn't really matter to her anyway. She said what she needed to say–both when he visited her at TRIC and when she spent hours on her knees in the blazing sun, telling Lucas Scott that she was in love with him one last time through song lyrics she knew he would recognize.

When he showed up in her office it took everything she had in her not to cry; Lucas was saying things about how hard it was for him to see her again and how it _still_ felt that way. Still. She'd be waiting far too long to hear those words. A heavy weight was lifted off of her shoulders, and she felt light burst through a heart that once seemed so dark and in need of hope. Her heart felt light, but her head was telling her she was crazy; that this boy was crazy and no longer worth any of her time–that she should slam the door in his face and never look back. She couldn't do it.

There was something about the pain in his eyes that she couldn't bear to see. Except it was a pain she knew all too well: a love well lost in the passing of time spent growing apart because life got in the way. So, she listened to him and held in her tears when he admitted still holding on to the memory of first seeing her skinny arms and tangled mess of hair...of how hard it was to let her go.

As quickly as he had came, he had gone-with Peyton left feeling a sense of hope and a sense of hopelessness. She had no idea what was to come-then again, that was customary with Lucas. But if she was going to go down that road, it'd do nothing but harm her, so she decided to push it aside and focus on something else. That something else happened to be her recent call from Mia saying she'd come across some mystery guy on her tour who knew her birth mother, Ellie. It sent her mind spinning. _Who else could've known her?_ In the few short weeks she'd spent with Ellie in her senior year of high school, Peyton didn't garner much from her past except her familiarity with kegs of alcohol and rock concerts–and the fact that she decided to give Peyton up after she was born. The fact that other people were in her life didn't concern with Peyton. She supposed that was selfish. She certainly did regret it now as she sat in her empty studio attempting to draw–which required a clear mind. Peyton's certainly was not. She sat staring at her cell phone as it blinked the time. She found herself thinking of this man and who he could be, what he could mean, what more he could bring if he entered her life–if he did at all.

It was no surprise that when her phone finally did ring-her heart jumped and she answered it without bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He said he never hated her. It was hard for him to do so–he acted below himself the night before when he was trying to cover up the pain with the sting of alcohol. He was trying to lose himself in a world where he wasn't left at the altar, and was still in love with another woman. He found out soon enough that that world didn't even exist.

The lines became blurred. He couldn't distinguish what he was feeling awful for. Losing Lindsey, or losing Peyton. He just knew that both were his own fault.

Lucas packed his things and took a taxi to the airport with the intention to run. To run away and start fresh–clear his mind of the mistakes he had made, head in a new direction to erase his wrong turns. But then he realized, no matter how far he ran–he would be alone. Even worse–his mistakes would still be there when he was ever brave enough to return. So, instead of running to forget his mistakes–he was running to fix them. He just had to figure out who he really loved. That was easy, though. He knew who it was all along.

Before Lucas wasted any more time, he dialed a number he had memorized. He heard his heart pounding as he heard the long, agonizing rings on the other line. All he wanted was to hear her voice before he went crazy.

" _Hello?"_

He took a breath. Even her voice over the phone sounded gorgeous, if that was even possible. He racked his brain, trying to figure out what to say. He really regretted not writing it down on a napkin or something. "Hi…it's me."

There was a pause. For a second Lucas thought she'd hung up.

" _Hi."_

Her voice sounded guarded and wary and Lucas hated that. He sighed, and his brain started hurting as he thought of what the hell he should say now. Screw that. It was too late for big planned speeches. "Look…I'm at the airport, and I've got two tickets to Vegas." _Jesus_. _It sounded crazy even to him._ Oh well. Too late now. "Do you want to get married tonight?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Peyton thought it was going to be Mia on the other line, telling her about this guy who knew her birth mother. It wasn't Mia. If it was Mia her hands wouldn't be shaking and she wouldn't be able to hear her heart beating so damn loud.

" _God, I know this sounds insane, Peyton."_

Peyton had no fucking clue what she was supposed to say. Although, she loved him too. Of course she did. That's part of the reason why she was still on the line.

 _"I want to be with you."_

Peyton was nearly crying now. Still, no words could leave her. She wanted to be with him too. But this, this was insane. He'd nearly just been left at the altar by another woman. No, forget altar. He almost just _married_ another woman. Married!

"Lucas...are you crazy?"

 _"Definitely. I really am. I swear to God, I'm sitting here and I've got these tickets in my hands. I… I don't even know what to say."_

Peyton scoffed. "So then why did you call?"

 _"For a lot of things. I called to say I'm sorry. For everything I ever did to hurt you. I called to tell you everything up to this point has been a mistake I waited too long to do something about. I called you to win you back."_

"Lucas, it's not that easy, you know that."

" _Why cant it be?"_

"Because it just isn't!" Peyton shouted. "You expect me to run to you after all you've done? You nearly married her, Lucas! Right in front of me!"

Lucas sounded quiet and reserved. _"It would've been a mistake. I didn't want to hurt her."_

"But yet you hurt me."

 _"I know. I'm sorry. That's not even the beginning. I screwed up so bad."_

"Yeah, you did," Peyton agreed, harshly. Why was she getting so defensive? She'd spent hours pouring her heart out to him on the River Court. It was the bravest thing she'd ever done, and she was messing it all up. Her head was trying to trick her again, and she felt so stuck. _God, he was so confusing!_

" _But I know what I want now. I want you. Just you. You're the love of my life. True love always, remember?"_

Peyton let out a sigh. "Oh, God, Luke–"

Lucas felt his heart jump. _She'd called him Luke_. _"I love you, and I know you love me too. I know you do."_

Peyton felt a tear slip. "Of course I do," she said quietly. "But we should…we should talk about this."

" _You're right, we should. We will. But I don't want to do it over the phone. I have to see you."_

Peyton sighed, and her hands still shook. She had two options. She could tell Lucas to fuck off, ending the phone call and their relationship forever. Or, she could stick by the words she'd spoken an hour earlier, pack up a bag, and go to the man she was so terribly in love with.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He'd been sitting in the airport for a while. He was sure of that. Lucas just didn't feel like glancing down at his watch or telephone because every time he did he just crumbled into a nervous wreck–sweaty palms, pounding heart and all. His feet were starting to get antsy, as they tapped an irregular pattern on the tile underneath the sole of his shoes. He alternated from leaning his head back on the seat, to laying his head in his hands, to just staring straight ahead and doing nothing. He only waited, and he only hoped.

It'd been an hour. It'd been an hour of nervousness and doubt and exhilaration as Lucas sat in that chair. He sat and watched all different kinds of people pass him by–some with a large number of suitcases, some few, some none at all. Some traveled in big groups, with friends, with family. Some traveled alone. Lucas was starting to think he was going to be one of those lone travelers. _She wasn't coming_. Why would she bother with him? He'd treated her so bad-isolated her; kissed her in a moment of suppressed passion only to propose to another woman that very night; told her he hated her in his drunken stupor…the list went on and on.

Ashamed and defeated, Lucas slipped his cell phone back into his front jeans pocket. He placed his hands on his knees and took a deep, forced breath to gather whatever he needed to face the world alone and alone still. Completely unprepared for that, Lucas did the only thing he could manage: turn around to pick up the duffel bag he packed for (what was now) no reason at all.

When he turned, and he turned to see _her_ walking towards him, he thought he was hallucinating. He really thought he was going crazy and this was a side-effect: the girl of his dreams, Peyton Sawyer, was walking toward him-with a red bag on her shoulder.

Lucas dropped his bag to the floor and watched Peyton do the same. He finally made it into her arms, and their bodies crashed together. "You are such a mess! You can't just call a girl from the airport," Peyton breathed, clinging tightly to Lucas's shirt collar. Tears hit her eyes. "Are you crazy?"

"Completely," Lucas answered, moving his hands from her waist to her lower back. "Completely crazy, and _completely_ in love with you."

"I love you, too..." Peyton said, and they kissed. A fire ran through them both as their hands roamed each others bodies almost desperately. Peyton giggled as Lucas placed kisses on the side of her neck, several in fact. They stood at the gate in the airport terminal, making out like teenagers, and it was like time finally stood still for a moment or two.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-

On the plane, Peyton sat curled into Lucas's side, her hand draped on his knee. Lucas was deep in thought. "I know this is sudden," he said. He shifted so he was facing Peyton, and she looked at him. "I was just thinking about how much I still loved you, and I didn't...I didn't want to waste any more time being...stupid. Everything with Lindsey...I know I said, _I do_..."

"Why did you?" Peyton asked, quietly.

"I..." Lucas sighed again. "I was lying to myself. I never should have said it. It was cowardly." Lucas took Peyton's hand and kissed it. "Peyton, I love you so much. I'm so sorry that I put you through that. I don't want to lie to myself anymore. That's why I called you." When Peyton was silent for a few seconds, Lucas added, half-joking, "Do you still love me?"

Peyton lightly swatted his arm. "Stop," she said. "It was really, _really_ hard, Luke: getting all those mixed signals from you...the kiss, and then, then you propose to her?"

Lucas cleared his throat. "I know. I know. Did I mention I'm an idiot? You have to know... you have to know that that kiss meant so much to me. It was like I could finally breathe again."

"That's exactly how I felt..." Peyton said, feeling tears come to her eyes.

Lucas shrugged in a dejected sort of way. "The proposal… I never should've done it," he said. "When I saw you on the other side of the door, I..." Lucas' breath hitched, not allowing him to finish speaking.

Peyton squeezed his hand.

"I was so _happy_ when I saw you tonight. You finally came back to me," Lucas whispered, leaning in to place a light kiss on her lips, taking in a deep breath to inhale her scent.

"You finally came back to _me,_ " Peyton said. "How about we just...be happy? Starting right now."

Lucas smiled, brought back to a similar conversation they had when they were seniors in high school, when they decided to be happy despite the craziness of life going on all around them. "I think it's long overdue."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Wait, wait," Lucas said, as he and Peyton walked down the hotel hallway in Vegas. Peyton stopped and turned to him, before shrieking when Lucas brought her into his arms, literally sweeping her off her feet. "Shh! You're disturbing people."

"You're the one who came all up on me," Peyton said, her legs swinging freely as Lucas held her.

Lucas kissed Peyton, deeply in front of the door to their hotel room. "I wanted you in my arms," Lucas whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her back. He opened the door easily, and carried Peyton through the threshold and to the bed, as she giggled all the while.

"Aw, baby... you're such a dork," Peyton said, running a hand down Lucas's cheek. "We're not even married yet!"

"I'm practicing," Lucas said, knowing Peyton was enjoying every second of it, "so that when we are, I don't look like a dork."

"Oh no."

"What?" Lucas followed Peyton's gaze to the ceiling above their heads.

"The ceiling has a mirror," she said, mid-laughter.

"Oh sweet lord," Lucas said, tipping his head. "I told them something nice!"

"It's Vegas, Luke."

Lucas smiled and brushed hair away from Peyton's face so he could see her better. "Look at you."

"...What?"

"You fly all night, and you still look amazing," Lucas said, running his hands down Peyton's long legs.

"God, no I don't..."

Lucas quieted her by kissing her lips. "Yeah, you do," he said. "Are you tired?"

Peyton shook her head, biting her lip. "No."

"Good, me neither."

"Come here," Peyton said, pulling Lucas close to her by his jacket. She kissed him, wiping her tongue across his bottom lip. He groaned, and when he pulled away she said, "I missed that."

Lucas nodded, a look of guilt plaguing his face.

"I bet you're gonna look really good in that mirror," Peyton said, taking off Lucas' jacket.

"Oh yeah?"

Peyton smirked and added, "Let's find out." She pulled Lucas to her for yet another kiss before unbuttoning his shirt with her nimble fingers. Though on the outside she appeared perfectly composed, on the inside she was extremely nervous. It'd been years since she'd last had sex with Lucas. That reality seemed so strange to her...to love a man so completely, yet be unable to be with him in the most intimate of ways...it just seemed so odd. Yet, here they were, with Lucas gently removing her heels, shirtless. When he began kissing her neck, it felt familiar and new at the same time. Peyton ran her hands all down his robust back, and she remembered he liked that. Peyton took deep breaths as Lucas took off her shirt and jeans, and she lay there in just her bra and panties, both black. She looked at the color of his eyes, which darkened as they drank her in. Lucas quickly took off his jeans, leaning over his wife-to-be.

"Luke?" Peyton asked, grabbing his hand.

"Yeah?"

"Could we just...kiss a while first?"

"Sure," Lucas answered right away, searching her eyes. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," Peyton admitted, color filling her cheeks. "I just... it's been so long."

Lucas nodded, running a soothing hand down her leg. "We could kiss a while," he finally said. "Whatever you're comfortable with, Peyton."

Peyton looked up at Lucas before lightly pulling on his arm so that he would kiss her, and he did. They only stopped so Lucas could adjust himself on the bed, covering Peyton with the duvet. When they resumed, Peyton's arms were around his neck, and he was running his hands down her back.

"You're beautiful," he said. "You know that?"

They kissed a while more, until Lucas pressed his fingers against her heat through her underwear, and she gasped.

"Too fast?" Lucas asked, his voice laced with panic.

"No, no..." Peyton answered. "Do that again."

Lucas did so, his thumb putting delightful pressure against her, and Peyton sighed again, sweet to his ears. "Does that feel good?"

"Mhm," Peyton answered, leaning back against the pillow as Lucas began to rub her against her underwear. "You can take it off."

Slowly, Lucas pulled Peyton's underwear off. exposing her. He swallowed thickly, before first tracing his finger down her flat, smooth belly, then journeying down to press his finger against her clitoris, watching as her body relaxed under his touch. He leaned down to kiss the side of her ear, as she grabbed onto his arm the faster and harder he went.

"Luke..."

Lucas shut his eyes at the sound of his nickname leaving her lips. He kissed her, hard, and she snaked her arms around his waist, pressing down on the small of his back. "Baby..." he said, watching as she nearly evaporated into nothing right before his eyes.

"Hm?" Peyton breathed, her lips parted and hair splayed about her head. She leaned to sit up, causing Lucas to stop for only a second, until she said, "Take it off."

Lucas understood and took off her black bra with care, setting it on the night table. He turned to just look at her, and saw color filling her cheeks. He took her hand in his and kissed it. "Better?"

Peyton nodded, pulling Lucas toward her with her hand. She lay up looking at him, the blue of his eyes, the curve of his lips, the lines on his chest. She ran her hands up his arms, reaching up to caress his ear the way he liked. "You can take your boxers off if you want."

Lucas reached down and removed his boxers, tossing them aside. He sent Peyton a reassuring smile.

"I'm...I'm sorry if I'm being a little weird about all this," Peyton said, and Lucas frowned.

"Hey...you're not being weird. After all I've put you through, you have every right to be a little apprehensive. I mean I...I never thought I'd be able to be with you like this again..." he took a deep breath. "So whatever you need, sweetheart."

"I love you..."

When his lips were on hers, she pulled him even closer than he was already, shut her eyes as he kissed down her body, his one hand caressing her breast while the other went back to in between her legs. "I love you so much, Peyton," he swore, as her body began to shiver.

"Show me," Peyton said, her voice quiet and shy. "Show me."

"Yeah?"

Peyton nodded, her eyes on him as he reached for the condoms he brought with him. He slipped on the condom both carefully and easily, before rubbing against Peyton in the manner he had earlier.

"Baby, don't tease me," she pleaded, eyes closed and lips parted.

As Lucas kissed her lips, he entered her, and she tensed. "...You OK?!"

"Mhm," Peyton said, though she felt a little pain. _Had it really been that long?_

Lucas pushed into her slowly, watching her all the while. "Fuck, you're warm," he said, huddling close to her.

"You feel amazing," she said, and as he began thrusting against her, she let out breathy moans, her body writhing underneath his. "You don't have to be so gentle."

"Sorry," Luke answered, bucking his hips forward, harder and faster than he had just done. "I just..."

"It's OK," Peyton said. "Just kiss me."

When he kissed her, he felt like he was floating. Light, without a care in the world. In a Las Vegas hotel room, Lucas made love to the beautiful love of his life: speeding up and slowing down, holding tightly to her hand, as she felt herself letting go.

Nothing was more mind blowing than making love to Peyton Sawyer. _As cheesy as it sounded,_ Lucas thought to himself, _it was true._ The way she arched her back when he hit a particular spot, the way those sexy moans left her parted lips. The way her hands raked down his back. The way her long legs wrapped around him. The way her breasts felt rubbing against his chest. She was an absolute goddess.

"I love you..." Lucas said, not being able to keep it in. The words floated thickly in between them.

"I love you, too," Peyton said back, biting her lip. "Luke, I feel it..."

"I know. It's OK, baby. It's OK." Lucas reached in between Peyton's legs to help her along, and she tightened her hold on him.

"Oh my God..." she said, and Lucas felt her begin to tremble in his arms. When she came, and came hard, she had never before look so at peace.

Lucas followed soon after her, his arms and legs shaking. He eased his way off her, both of them a sweaty, sticky, and sexy mess. Despite this, Lucas brought his arm around her and she curled into his side. "Was that OK.. for you?" he asked, still regaining his breath.

"Wasn't it obvious?" Peyton laughed gently. "What about you?"

"Are you kidding? You're out of this world, love." He kissed her deeply, pulling her close by her waist. "Are you hungry?"

"A little," Peyton admitted. "I just really don't want to get out of this bed."

Lucas smiled slightly. "Well, that's what room service's for. What do you feel like having?" He placed a kiss on her cheek, then her chin, then the side of her neck. "Hm?"

"Where's the menu?" Peyton asked, watching as Lucas dutifully reached over to the nightstand to grab the room service menu. "Oooh, mac and cheese! I have such a craving."

"OK," Lucas said, laughing.

"What?"

"You're adorable."

"What about...chocolate covered strawberries for dessert?" Peyton asked, a devious look in her eye.

"Sounds amazing to me," Lucas said, kissing Peyton's cheek. "You're amazing." Peyton shook her head, and Lucas insisted, "Yes, you are."

They ate mac and cheese together in those fluffy hotel robes, and spent the night making love over and over again, getting reintroduced to each other's bodies, and getting reminded of what they liked when they were together–and, also, how their chemistry was absolutely electric.

Lucas took a chocolate covered strawberry and fed it to Peyton, before kissing her and tasting the sweet chocolate on her lips. He pulled her close to him and moaned gruffly into her mouth, before rolling onto his back and letting her settle on top of him. They kissed for a while, and Lucas couldn't stop smiling.

"What?" Peyton asked, running her hand down his cheek.

"Nothing. I'm just so happy." Lucas swallowed, his eyes a deep blue. "I can't remember the last time I felt this good. Can you?"

The vulnerability in Lucas' voice hit her hard. She shook her head, kissing the top of his hand. "It's been a while."

Lucas nodded and inhaled, sat up and brought his arms around his love. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you're here. It means more to me than I can possibly express. Thanks, Peyton."

"For what?"

"For being you," Lucas answered, like it was the easiest answer to give in the world. "You were so strong and so good to me when I strayed from us. You deserve all the happiness in the world, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, making you that happy."

"Baby..."

"I'm serious." He kissed her, slipping his tongue into her warm mouth. "I want you to know how much you mean to me. You're the love of my life. I knew it when I first saw you."

"I love you, too," Peyton whispered, and she kissed him hard, pushing him back onto the bed. They made love again, and in between cuddling and sleeping afterwards, they talked.

"Can I ask you something?" Lucas asked, turning to her. The clock read 5am, but he was wide awake. "Did you always imagine having a big wedding?"

"Oh gosh. I mean...I did always see my dad there, and my brother. Brooke, of course. Haley. So I guess that means no? I don't need a big wedding." She looked at Lucas and said, "If they are there, and...and if you're there, obviously, that's all I need."

"So you want to get married in front of our family and friends."

"I want to be your wife," was Peyton's answer. She knew that Lucas brought them to Vegas for a reason.

"So let's do it," Lucas replied. "Let's have a big wedding. If we get married here and now...yes, we'll be married, but Haley and Nate, your dad, Derek will have missed it. I want you to have the day you've always wanted, baby."

"Are you sure? We came all this way..."

"So we'll call it a reconciliation weekend," Lucas insisted, reaching over and brushing the hair from her eyes. "This all starts with one thing." Lucas sat up in the bed, on both knees, the bed sheets going up to his waist.

"What're you doing?"

"I don't have a ring, but..."

"Wait, wait, stop," Peyton said, holding out her hand. For just a moment, Lucas' eyes filled with worry. Peyton reached over to unclasp the ring that was on a chain around her neck. "This ring was my mother's."

Lucas blew out a breath and swallowed.

"You're nervous."

"Well yeah! This is nerve-wracking. Especially because it's _you._ " Lucas held up Anna Sawyer's ring in one hand, and looked up to the woman who changed his life ever since they first met at 16 years old. "Peyton...I love you."

Peyton held her hand to her mouth, partially to stop herself from screaming the word, _yes_ , before he finished.

"I love you, and I want us to be together forever. When I look at you, that's what I see: my forever. I truly think that every decision I've made, every road I've traveled down has led me back to you." Lucas held up the ring. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes," Peyton breathed, elated. "Yes!"

Lucas laughed, slipped the ring on Peyton's finger. He kissed her deeply, almost desperately.

"I love you so much," she said, her words hitting his lips like mist.

"You have no idea," was his reply. He decided, as he was holding her, kissing her, that no matter what, he'd never let her go again. Without her, he'd be incomplete. It was that simple–and even though they had reunited after years of being in pain and being angry with themselves and with one another...he wouldn't give back their reunion for the whole world.

 **THE END**


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